The sole difference between multi-slide die casting and hot-chamber die casting is the build and operation of the casting tool and the equipment required to operate the tool. Hot-chamber casting employs a two-part tool making it costly and tough for die casters to make components with complex geometries in a foundry. However, multi-slide tooling is conceived to use four to six perpendicular slides in the tool and helps to produce complex components with accurate castings.
This technology has given product designers the freedom to create complex parts with intricate geometry. The multi-slide die cast mold making tool in a foundry comprises of die block, sliders, cover plate, as well as crosshead. Each die block has a mold cavity into which the molten metal is being injected. The perpendicular die blocks are mounted onto sliders to cast and drop-in fits into the crosshead thereby ensuring repeat opening and closing phases in die cast mold making. A cover plate bolted atop the multi-slide die cast tool holds all the components intact.
Each slide moves distinctly of the other during closing as well as opening phases. This movement will provide manufacturing flexibility, ensure component unity, and prevent tool damages. The molten metal would solidify within seconds and ejects with an air blast, which blows the shot well clear of the cavity and lands safely into a padded collection system in the foundry.
Multi-slide die casting machines works at 75 cycles per minute speed, which equals to around 4500 shots per hour. This speed and accuracy is achieved through pneumatics, not hydraulics, to operate the distinct parts of the machine. Die casters in Mexico also adopt fully hydraulic multi-slide die cast mold making machines to match the process to the component being made in the foundry.
Below are some advantages of multi-slide die casting machine:
- Elimination or drastic reduction of secondary operations in manufacturing
- Lowers tooling costs
- Exceedingly well part-to-part repeatability
- Speedy die changeovers
- Automatic separation of components from runners
Die casters in Mexico have innovated a lot and tested different types of multi-slide die cast equipments before coming up with the multi-slide process in use nowadays. With multi-slide tools, product designers can get customized components with tolerances of +/-0.02mm and so would Original Equipment Manufacturers.